A Hobbit Fairy Tale
by Nfinity
Summary: Summary: A mostly lighthearted love tryst between my favorite hobbits about the power of pure love and its eternal ability to forgive the unforgivable. It's not your average love story, and definitely not your average fairy tale.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A mostly lighthearted love tryst between my favorite hobbits about the power of pure love and its eternal ability to forgive the unforgivable. It's not your average love story, and definitely not your average fairy tale.

Author's Note: The original version of this story is on another site,  
I've added a new beginning and ending to it, and have made some other small and basically insignificant changes to it. Let me know what you think of the prologue and the first chapter. :D

A Hobbit Fairy Tale

Prologue:

"Tell us the story again Grandmam!" Two tweenaged hobbits sat at their grandma's feet, looking up at her in rapture. "Please?"The youngest one pleaded. The elderly hobbit laughed and settled in her favorite rocker by the fire.

"But I've told it to you so many times, dearhearts, that you should be able to tell the story to me. Isn't there another, more suitable, story you'd like to hear. I don't know that your grand-uncle would like the sordid details of his life to be heard by young, impressionable ears." The two tweens pouted. The youngest piped up suddenly, a bright, hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"That never stopped you before, Grandmam Pearl!" They looked at their grandmam hopefully, thier bright green eyes sparkling in the firelight.  
The old hobbit sighed in defeat.

"All right children, gather 'round close. The story begins like this:

"Once upon a time, there lived a lad in a beautiful place called the Shire, who was in love. This lad was unlike other lads. He didn't know that he was in love, nor that the one he loved also loved him. He was a very good lad, son of a very important gentlehobbit and heir to that position. His love was also a very important hobbit, but he was rarely called a 'good lad'. Normally people called him the 'fool of a Took,  
especially when he got himself, and his friend, in trouble. But he always seemed to get them both out of it. This is the tale of their love and the roller-coaster ride they went on to get there.

"Their tale begins on a lovely April day in a majestic wood, with the two friends and a startling revelation…"

Chapter 1

Merry gaped open-mouthed at the sight before him. He didn't mean to be a peeping Tom; he was only hiding up in this particular tree because it was one of the few that his eldest Took cousin, Pearl, hadn't caught him in. He was just beginning to relax when a noise in the bushes below alerted him. Merry watched, in silent fascination as his dearest cousin, Pippin, darted out from behind a bunch of bushes and stopped in the clearing that Merry's tree overlooked. The clearing was completely secluded from the path that lay about six feet to the right, far enough for a little privacy, but close enough so as you don't lose your way. Pippin glanced around three or four times as if he were looking for intruders, but he didn't look up. If he had looked up, and looked hard enough to see beyond the foliage, Pippin would have seen his cousin up in the tree. But Pippin seemed to Merry to be slightly preoccupied.

Pippin checked again to make sure he was alone, gave an urgent little sigh and unceremoniously dropped his drawers, as the saying goes.  
Merry almost audibly gasped. Here was his twenty-one year old cousin about to 'relieve his tension' as his da called it, and here Merry was stuck in a tree above him like a pervert. 'What am I doing,' he thought, trying to find some way out of this situation. He looked down without thinking when he heard Pippin moan, ever so softly, and was captivated by the scene before him.

Pippin was lying on the ground, completely disregarding the hard feel of it. His eyes were half shut and his head was thrown back as he moved his hand up and down his erection. He was already flushed and starting to breath heavily, little pants and moans escaping his lips.  
Merry watched in agonized silence, unable to look away, as Pippin's breathing became harder and his movements faster and jerkier. Sweat broke out on his face and he began to undulate his hips in time with the thrusts of his hand. His moans became more urgent, louder and more full of the need that was driving him at that moment. Merry felt his breathing getting heavier and he realized that watching Pippin pleasure himself was making him hard. He forgot in that moment that it was wrong that he was watching his cousin, his male cousin, and that he shouldn't be having this problem by watching another boy tend to himself. He ground his hips hard into the tree to keep himself from getting overly excited, too entranced by the sight below him to even think about looking away.

Pippin was nearing his climax at that point. He was breathing like he'd just run a mile and the sweat trickled down his face. He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes, his movements becoming erratic as his passion crested.

"Merry," he whispered, his voice full of urgency and raw need. "Oh,  
Merry!" Merry froze up in the tree, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open slightly. He'd stopped breathing for a moment and his heart skipped a beat. Pippin's climax ended and he lay there still panting, unable to move for a second. Merry's whole world had stopped;  
his brain couldn't process what had just happened. After a very long,  
silent pause, with the only sounds in the clearing being Pippin's calming breaths and Merry's own light breathing, Pippin heaved a sigh,  
wiped the sweat off of his face, cleaned himself off a little and put his trousers back on. He then moved away from his previous spot and sat down against the tree opposite Merry's. He sat down heavily and drew his legs up, bowing his head so that his tousled curls covered his face. A moment later soft, barely audible sobs broke the pregnant silence and Merry realized that Pippin was crying. He looked the very portrait of misery, crouched alone with his face covered, crying so heartbrokenly that Merry just wanted to hold him and tell him that everything would be all right.

But Merry knew that he couldn't comfort Pippin for two obvious reasons: one, he would have to tell Pippin that he'd been in that tree the entire time and that would probably embarrass Pippin and lead to awkward questions, questions Merry didn't quite want to know the answer to. And two, Merry didn't know how to react to what he'd just witnessed, he didn't know what to say to comfort Pippin or to understand why Pippin was crying. Which would lead to the same awkward questions. And that realization that Pippin was crying alone because of him and he could do nothing about it broke Merry's heart.

Pippin's sobs dwindled down to sniffles and he finally looked up after a while. He wiped his eyes and nose and leaned back to look at the sunlight streaming through the trees. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt the soft breeze blow through his hair. Then he sighed and opened his eyes again.

"I don't know when I started feeling this way about him," he said softly to a curious blue jay that had landed on a bush near him. "I guess I've always loved him and it's just now become something more.  
It's just, every time he looks at me I get shivers and sometimes I dream about him and dream that he knows and he doesn't hate me and he tells me that he's felt the same way all along." Pippin sighed again and put his hand on his forehead. "And sometimes I want to tell him,  
just burst out and say to him that I love him as more than a cousin and, at moments like those, it just feels like a dam about ready to burst. It's like the pressure of holding it in is going to kill me…  
and then he smiles in that way of his and my heart breaks because I know he'll never forgive me for my feelings and he'll hate me for being so, so… Tookish." He looked miserably at the jay and was silent for a moment.

"What should I do?" he burst out suddenly. "I can't go on like this;  
stealing moments to think about him and pretend that it's him I'm feeling touching me. Oh, lord, if he knew, he'd hate me I know it.  
He'd be disgusted with me and leave me all alone for the rest of my life and I'd go through my life broken and useless to everyone. I just… I think about telling him and then an image of me without him,  
even just having him as a friend is better than nothing, and I see myself as I would be without him to comfort me when I'm sick or sad,  
or do stupid things with that we know will get us into trouble, and I see myself getting into that kind of trouble and this time, he's not there to get me out of it, he's not there to reason my father out of killing his only son and heir. Oh, life would be wretched without him!" Tears welled up in his eyes and he let escape a loud sob that scared the blue jay away. Pippin buried his face in his hands and was sobbing so hard that he didn't hear Merry climb silently out of the tree and walk down the path a little ways. So when Merry startled Pippin out of his pity, it looked to Pippin like Merry had been walking from the path and had heard him crying.

"What's this, Pippin? Why are you crying out here, all alone," he asked when he got closer to Pippin. His heart wrenched with guilt when Pippin's head shot up and Merry saw the fresh tears and the red swollen eyes. Pippin quickly dried his eyes and sat there, not looking at Merry.

"Why was you crying, dear heart?" Merry crouched down beside Pippin,  
putting a comforting arm around him. "Whatever it is, you can tell me and I'll see if I can't make it better. Did you get in trouble with your da again?" Pippin shook his head. "Then, what is it?"

Pippin looked up at Merry for a moment and fresh tears came to his eyes. He mumbled something inaudible and Merry sighed.

"Pippin, dearest, I can't hear you when you mumble. Just tell me. If it's bad, I won't tell anyone, I swear." He crossed his heart with his right hand, just like Pippin used to make him do when Pippin was a child and had a secret to tell him. Pippin shook his head again.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Meriadoc Brandybuck," he said softly. Merry frowned.

"I always keep my promises unless circumstances prevent me from keeping them, Peregrin Took. Now what is it that makes you cry so"  
Pippin looked questioningly into Merry's eyes and, seeing no dishonesty, took a deep breath and prepared to lie. "Pippin," Merry said, knowing his cousin all too well. "No lies. I want the truth"  
Pippin exhaled sharply.

"Oh, Merry," he said for a second time that day, though in an entirely different manner than he had before. "If I told you, you'd hate me forever," he said in a heartbroken voice. Merry snorted.

"I couldn't hate you if I tried, you impetuous Took. Why not tell me and get it off of your chest?" Pippin bowed his head for a moment,  
composing himself and considering.

"I'm a bad hobbit," he said suddenly. Merry frowned. What Pippin had been doing wasn't considered 'bad', only a simple fact of nature.

"How are you a bad hobbit," Merry asked encouragingly. Pippin sighed.

"I… when I… when I 'tend to myself', I don't…" Pippin stopped,  
suddenly gripped again by that fear of rejection. He bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut and wouldn't say anything else.

"What don't you do when you tend your needs, Pip," Merry asked quietly. Pippin kept his eyes squeezed shut.

"I don't think about lasses, Merry," he whispered, a delicate blush spreading across his cheeks. "I… I think about you." He mumbled the last two words and Merry didn't quite catch them.

"What Pip?"

"I think about you, Merry," Pippin spat out and the he turned quickly away from his cousin's still form, tears yet again tracing paths down his cheeks from his tightly closed eyes. Merry gasped audibly. Hearing it straight from Pippin's mouth to him was an entirely different thing than overhearing it said to a blue jay. Merry stuttered for a moment trying to find something to say, but before he could formulate words Pippin spoke again, letting all of his feelings come out in a rush of breath, much like the dam he'd made an analogy to earlier.

"I can't stop myself from thinking of you like this and I know it's wrong, and that I would disgrace the family if they ever knew and I knew you'd hate me for feeling this and I can't… I don't know how to keep these feelings from coming over me and I think I must be a terrible hobbit for being this way, and I'm sure that you hate me now but I just wanted to tell you, I just had to tell you that I love you more than anything else in Middle-Earth, even more than all six meals,  
and I simply can't stop myself from loving you and wanting you in this disgraceful way!" It took Merry a moment to comprehend this whirlwind of an intense emotional outburst.

"Well, Pippin, I don't really know what to say," he said finally. He turned Pippin to face him and urged him to open his eyes. "I don't hate you, Pippin. And I'm sure that, while this is quite unheard of,  
you're not the first and not the last hobbit to feel this way. But I'm not saying it's right," Merry said to stop Pippin from gaining a false hope. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, Pippin, and I do love you,  
just… not in the same way." Pippin's face fell and tears came to his eyes for the fifth time in as many minutes and he looked away. "Now,  
Pippin," Merry continued, the words coming from his mouth before he thought of them. "You'll have to find some way to stop yourself from feeling like this. If the only way you can do that is by not having me around, then I shall have to leave for a while…" Merry stopped at the stunned horror on Pippin's face as the very thing he'd dreaded came spouting out of Merry's mouth.

"Merry," Pippin said weakly. "Merry… no. Please," he pleaded despondently. "Don't leave me alone." Merry, for fear of his own reaction to Pippin's previous show and his heart's reaction to Pippin's revelation and in pure blind panic of his father, made the decision that would change everything. He had to push Pippin away.

"I am leaving, Peregrin Took," he said in his grown up voice. "It's for your own good. I'll be leaving for Buckland as soon as I walk back to the Smials. I don't know if I'll ever be back." Pippin flinched at the harshness and unintended cruelty in Merry's voice. "Goodbye,  
Peregrin," Merry said as he got up and turned to walk away, leaving Pippin standing there staring after him in silent shock with tears coursing down his face. As Merry disappeared from sight back onto the path, Pippin's legs gave out as the shock wore off and the harsh cold reality of Merry's rejection hit him like a great cave troll from Cousin Bilbo's stories. His breath came out in a great whoosh and his brain went numb as he felt pain--real physical pain--course through his body. He slumped to the ground and the last thing he said before the world went dark was a whispered, "Merry." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Pippin opened his eyes to the bright morning and groaned. He just wanted it to go away. The sunlight and his family were his problems and all he wanted right now was to stay in bed forever, to drown out his pain in his dreams. Sleep was the only time of the day that he didn't feel it, this burning pain that constantly plagued him. His Merry was gone, had rejected him, and was likely to never come back at all. An image came to him of a long, lonely life without the one that he loved and it brought tears to his eyes. Another sharp pain hit him and made him lose his breath.

Three days, it had been three days since that day. Pippin's sister Pearl had found him passed out on the ground. Soon everyone connected Merry's sudden departure with Pippin's fainting spell and the rumours began to grow. But nobody knew the truth. Pippin's parent's had tried everything they could to comfort him, but all he wanted to do was sleep. He'd all but stopped eating; only going to the table when he was forced and even then only picking at his food and pushing it around his plate. He was losing weight rapidly, which was a serious thing for a hobbit.

Pippin was slipping back into sleep when his father came into the room and jostled him awake. Five pairs of concerned green eyes were focussed on him: his mother and father, and his three sisters, Pearl,  
Pervinca, and Pimpernel. Without a word Pippin's father, Paladin,  
hefted his son out of bed and carried him out of the room, heedless of Pippin's protests. He carried him down the hall, which was a testimony to how much Pippin had lost for he was as tall as his father and only a little les wide, and out of the Smials and deposited him on a carriage seat. That's when Pippin realized that he hadn't even bothered to change his clothes the night before. Pippin looked behind him and saw two bags that were no doubt full of his clothes and the usual things he took with him on trips. For one harrowing second Pippin thought that Paladin was going to take him to Brandy Hall and demand answers from both him and Merry. But as Eglantine and his sisters kissed Pippin's cheek Paladin looked at his only son and said gruffly:

"Don't worry, lad. I'm not going to interrogate you. I'm taking you to Frodo to sort this thing out on your own." His tone softened a little.  
"Whatever happened between you and Meriadoc, I want you to fix it. A Pippin without Merry is a very miserable Pippin indeed." The rest of their journey from the Smials in Tuckborough to Hobbiton was spent in silence and Pippin thought long and hard about how wise his father was. But he also thought that if there was a solution, Paladin wouldn't like it, no matter what it was.

Frodo was waiting for them at the door. Pippin supposed that Paladin had sent word ahead so that Frodo would be prepared for the state that he, Pippin, was in. As his eyes lit on his cousin, Frodo smiled in a sympathetic way and opened his arms wide. Pippins, forgetting he was all of twenty-one years old and that Frodo wasn't as young as he used to be, launched himself into that comforting embrace and let the tears fall immediately. Paladin busied himself by helping Sam take Pippin's bags into the hole.

"Shh, my little one," Frodo said comfortingly as Pippin cried into his chest. "Everything's going to work out. Just wait and watch." Pippin sniffed twice and nodded. Frodo handed him a handkerchief and led Pippin into the living room. Pippin said goodbye to his father and was a little disconcerted that Paladin hadn't specified a time that he'd be back for him. Pippin sat on Frodo's couch forlornly, waiting for the questions to begin. He wasn't disappointed but found that it was easier to talk to Frodo, almost as easy as it was to talk to Merry about any little thing.

"Why don't you tell me what happened, Pippin? If there's anything you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but if you want to tell me later,  
I'll be right here for you." Pippin nodded and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"I made a terrible mistake," he started. Frodo nodded encouragingly.  
Pippin took a steadying breath. "I fell in love. With Merry." No change came over Frodo's face and Pippin was perplexed. "Aren't you going to be mad at me too?" Frodo laughed.

"Of course not, silly goose. Why would I be mad at you? This sort of thing happens sometimes and when you're that close to someone, it's hard not to fall in love with that person's personality and even sometimes with their looks. Though it's rare, it's not completely uncommon," Frodo replied with a smile. Pippin felt a little better and more able to talk. He told Frodo about that day's activities.

"And then Merry came up to me and asked me what was wrong and I"  
Pippin stopped and tears coursed down his cheeks. He'd thought he'd cried all he was going to, that all of his tears had dried up like creek beds or old wells. He tried to continue and found that his voice was stuck in his throat.

"So you told him," Frodo said slowly, emotions playing in his voice from empathy, anger, and something a little more dangerous. Pippin wondered what had happened to make that strange look come into his gentle cousin's eyes. Pippin nodded consent and hung his head. "And he didn't take it well," Frodo continued, striving to keep his own emotions in check. Again, Pippin nodded.

"He told me the same thing as you did. That it wasn't unnatural and that he wasn't mad but that I couldn't feel this way about him. He seemed okay at first and then he… changed. He began to get angry, but it didn't seem like he was angry with me. And then he said that maybe he should leave so that I could get over my…. my abnormality and, then he made up his mind and told me he was leaving and that he may never come back. He was so cruel to me Frodo." Pippin's voice had become a whisper and his eyes went wide with the shock of it. "It was like Merry wasn't Merry anymore and he looked scared and he was just so…so harsh." He fell silent and stared at the wall as Frodo took a second to reign in his own emotions.

"Oh, Pippin," Frodo sighed as he ran his hand absently through Pippin's unruly auburn curls. "I had hoped that you would find a brighter future than I have." Pippin pulled out of his reverie and looked at Frodo with startled eyes.

"You," he asked incredulously. Frodo nodded with a sad smile. "Who was it, I'll teach them not to hurt my cousin," Pippin said as indignation came into his voice. How could anyone want to hurt his dear, gentle cousin? Frodo laid a hand on Pippin's arm to stop his objections.

"It's in the past, my dear hobbit. I've learned to live with it. But I don't want you to have to. Now I have a suspicion of our young Brandybuck that you may not have guessed. I'll have a talk with him in the morning and we'll see if we can't straighten this whole mess out for the better." Frodo's reassuring smile put Pippin at ease and he cried no more tears that night. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to my 3 reviewers. You guys rock...and I hope you enjoy (and review) this chapter. :D

Chapter 3

The next morning, Merry Brandybuck arrived at Bag End with no knowledge that Pippin was staying there. He smiled at Frodo when he entered.

"Hullo, cousin. Why the urgent summons?" His smile faltered at the look on Frodo's face. "What happened?" Many thoughts raced through his head, but the one thing that came to the forefront was Pippin. Something had happened to him, and it was Merry's fault. Merry's heart lurched at the thought and he suddenly felt dizzy. He grasped the reins of his pony and closed his eyes for a moment. Frodo was instantly by his side, leading him toward to the door. Merry realized he was still leading the pony. He went to move and Frodo stopped him.

"Don't worry about the pony, Merry, I'll have Sam put her up. You go into the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of tea." Merry complied and was sitting in a kitchen chair when Frodo came back in with a stern look on his face. Merry immediately became concerned. Frodo sat heavily in a chair, his years and heartache weighing a great deal upon him. He stared at the tabletop for a moment and then spoke in a soft voice.

"I wanted to talk to you," he began. "About Pippin." Merry flinched at Frodo's tone. Pippin had told him. Merry was instantly ashamed of what he'd done.

"Frodo, I-" Frodo cut him off with a gesture and a frown.

"I will talk first, Meriadoc Brandybuck. And you will listen to what I have to say. Yes Pippin told me what happened. He's asleep in one of the spare bedrooms at the moment. I wanted to tell you a story," his voice faltered and began to waver as he continued. He cleared his throat and began.

"A few years ago, a young lad about your age fell in love, with another lad. He worried about what the other lad would think if he revealed his feelings, because the other lad had never shown any interest in him as anything other than a friend. He worried about what others would think, about how unnatural he was. He worried and worried and that hidden love ate at his heart like a cancer and the doubts that clouded his mind seeped into his very soul and he convinced himself that he was wrong, and that the other lad would never understand, couldn't possibly know because if he found out, he'd know this lovesick lad was perverted in some way and abnormal and would shun him. He'd leave him forever.

"So the young lad kept his feelings secret for many long and painful years. And during that time, the lad's friend became more handsome, and more enticing with each passing year. And the lad fell more and more in love with each passing of the seasons. But still, he didn't reveal his feelings and the lad's friend went about things normally, never knowing an inkling of it.

"Until one day, while taking a walk, the young lads went on a swim and the lovesick lad saved the other's life from drowning. His friend was so grateful; he said that if there was anything that he could do for him, he would. He also said that they would always be best friends and that nothing could drive them apart. The young lad, feeling very content and happy, then decided to tell his love about his feelings" Frodo stopped and looked at Merry, who had silent tears running down his cheeks, as he knew what was going to happen. "You know what happens next, don't you, Merry," Frodo said quietly. Merry nodded and shook his head.

"Frodo…. I can't feel the same way Pippin feels for me. It's… I…. My father would…" Frodo raised his eyes to look at Merry. Saradoc Brandybuck had never entered his mind. Merry's father had ruled his life since the day he was born, preparing him to become the Master of Buckland. He managed his son with an iron-like fist, with lessons enforced by a belt or his hand. Frodo frowned.

"Do you know whose story that is, Merry?" Merry wiped his eyes and shook his head. Frodo gave a sad smile. "It's mine." A gasp came unbidden from Merry's lips. "Yes," Frodo said. "I was in Pippin's predicament a long time ago. The lad that I loved rejected me and it tore a wound open in my heart that will never fully heal. I've grown accustomed to the pain, but I don't want Pippin to have to get used to it, or to deal with it. I don't want him to ever suffer like I have. I promised that if I could prevent it, no one would have to be subject to the pain I was." Frodo stopped as he struggled to reign in his emotions. Merry slipped from his chair and put his arms around Frodo in a reassuring hug.

"I don't know if I can learn to love Pippin, Frodo," Merry whispered forlornly in Frodo's ear. Frodo patted Merry's arm and pulled him back to look into his eyes.

"You can. It's there, in your heart, just waiting for the right moment." He thought about it for a second and then gave a wide smile. "Why don't you go down to the market for me and get a few things. You can use the time and think about Pippin." Merry frowned in confusion and Frodo elaborated. "Just think about things you like about him and things you don't like about him. Just think about him for a while. Inspiration might strike from anywhere." He sent Merry out of Bag End with a long list of things that he really didn't need.

"You have that glint in your eyes again, Mr. Frodo," Sam Gamgee stated plainly as he watched from the front garden as Merry walking down the lane with the long list in his hand. "Something's up. Where's Mr. Merry off to without Mr. Pippin?" Frodo smiled and hugged Sam.

"He's going for a little shopping trip and Pippin's still asleep. When he wakes up I'll have a chat with him." Frodo became distracted and then smiled at Sam. "Would you be a dear and make breakfast? I am in the mood for a stroll this lovely April morning." He went back inside and got his walking stick and a light coat.

As he was walking, Sam was busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He paused in the middle of sautéing the mushrooms.

"But I just went to grocery yesterday. What could we possibly need now?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys all rock. After this chapter there is just one more, which happens to contain... well there's not use sugarcoating it...there's sex in the next chapter. And it is a bit awkward, with the ending of this chapter because this was originally one whole story with no chpapters an I decided to shorten it into chapters. So sorry if it's a bit awkward. And MerryTwelve Days Till Christmas:D**

Chapter 4

Merry was walking through the market, absentmindedly looking for the things on the list Frodo had sent with him. He was going through everything he knew about Pippin and, following Frodo's orders, trying to figure out what he liked and disliked about Pippin. He began to make a mental list in his head.

Things he liked about Pippin: His boisterousness and rambunctious personality. The way he always stayed light-hearted. The mischief and trouble he could get himself, and Merry, into and eventually get them out of. Things he didn't like about Pippin: His petulance; his childlike tendencies; the way he got himself, and Merry, into trouble.

Little things that Merry had never realized he'd noticed about Pippin came suddenly to the forefront of his mind. Pippin dancing with Pearl at her wedding; Pippin laughing while running away from Farmer Maggot; the way Pippin's eyes lit up when he was happy or excited; the way Pippin's smile lit the room. Merry dwelt on that particular feature for a moment: his smile lighting up a room or cheering him up. Merry remembered with a smile of his own how Pippin rarely lost that trace,  
that shadow, of a smile, even in sleep. Except when he was upset. And, Merry realized with a fresh burst of guilt searing across his heart, he'd caused Pippin to lose even that ghost of a smile. He sighed heavily and continued his trek through the market.

What if Pippin refused to forgive him, refused to believe that Merry had had a change of heart? He cringed at the thought of Pippin rejecting Merry like Merry had rejected him. What have I done? he asked himself. A thousand images and moments of Pippin flooded Merry's brain and he realized what he'd really been searching for all this time: his heart. He steeled himself and began the walk back to Bag End; completely forgetting the errand Frodo had sent him on. Suddenly he stopped.

Something glinted in the sunlight, drawing Merry's eye to it. he walked to the vendor's stall and his eyes lit up, a smile forming on his lips. This was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Pippin woke to the smells of bacon and the sounds of Sam in the kitchen. He got up, washed and dressed and came into the kitchen at the same moment Frodo returned from his walk. Frodo looked much happier than he had the night before and that gave Pippin some hope that today wouldn't be another day spent talking and crying. He'd decided that night that Merry was no longer worth crying over and that he couldn't spend the rest of his life pining for something unattainable. He sat at the breakfast table beside Frodo and gave him a smile that was only slightly less bright as his normal smiles.

"Good morning, Frodo," he said in a semi-cheerful voice. "I see you've already beaten me to a walk." Frodo returned the smile and helped himself to a biscuit. Sam came and set the breakfast food on the table for the both of them.

"Thank you, Sam," Frodo said as he began to dig into a pile of bacon. Sam nodded and began to wash the cooking dishes. For a while the only sounds were the eating sounds and the sounds of Sam finishing the dishes. After they'd finished with breakfast, Frodo let out a contented sigh and looked over at Pippin who had a similar expression on his face.

"I was hoping to talk to you about something Pippin," Frodo said. Pippin shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He was quite tired of talking, especially talking with Frodo about Merry. He just wanted to continue his life and learn to live without Merry. Frodo seemed to read his mind because he sighed and shook his head.

"I don't want you to learn to live with this, Pippin. No one should have to go through that," Frodo said. "Why don't we have a look at the garden that Sam's been working on? I think it's beautiful; Sam's best work yet. Don't you think Sam?" Sam blushed and mumbled something at the floor that soundly suspiciously like, "You're just sayin' that Mr. Frodo. 'Tain't no better than anythin' else." Frodo smiled cheekily at him and led Pippin out the kitchen door.

"I've talked to Merry, Pippin," Pippin shut his eyes against the tears he knew were sure to come. Frodo stopped and turned Pippin to face him. "He was confused and afraid, Pippin. He's still afraid and confused, but I think he understands better his feelings. I sent him to the market, to fetch some things, and I, well, I gave him a little advice." Pippin opened his eyes.

"What's he afraid of?" Frodo bit his lip.

"He's afraid of his father, Pippin. He's afraid of what his father would do to him if he reciprocated your feelings." A small ray of comprehension and hope came into Pippin's eyes.

"Does that mean…" he found himself unable to finish the sentence and he looked at Frodo with wide eyes. Frodo nodded.

"I think it does, Pippin, but you have to talk to Merry when he comes back." A door opening and shutting informed them of Merry's return. Frodo smiled at Pippin. "I don't want to get your hopes up, dear heart, but I hope for you, everything works out for the best." Pippin nodded and Frodo went inside to get Merry.

After a minute Merry came out and immediately began to search for Pippin. He headed straight to him and stood for a moment, marvelling at the thousand and one tiny things he'd just now noticed about Pippin. He truly knew his heart now that he'd seen Pippin in this new light. He walked to him and gingerly sat down beside him. Pippin was watching the flowers sway in the soft breeze, each delicate blossom creating its own dance in the face of the wind. Merry sat and watched with him for a moment, neither of them speaking or looking away from the differentiating and yet coordinated dance of the flowers. And then the breeze blew away.

"I'm sorry, Pippin," Merry said softly, looking down at the now-still flowers. Pippin nodded. "I just… I couldn't let myself think about it, you know? I was afraid of what may have happened between us, and now I might have ruined any chance of anything happening. I wish I had realized this before I lost you." Pippin finally looked over at Merry's still form, startled to see tears in his eyes. Pippin's hand resting on his own startled Merry and he looked up at it and then into Pippin's eyes.

"You haven't lost me, Merry," Pippin said and there were tears in his voice and tears welling in his eyes. "I've been here all along, you silly Brandybuck." Pippin smiled and Merry smiled back, glad to see him smile again.

"Pippin," Merry started. Pippin put his hand to Merry's lips and stilled the words. He shook is head.

"I understand it, Merry," he said. "I know why you pushed me away. Stop apologizing." Merry smiled and nodded. "Besides, I believe you have more important things to say to me, Master Brandybuck, and I'm beginning to lose my patience," Pippin concluded. Merry laughed and lightly pinched Pippin.

"Oh, Pip," Merry said, suddenly serious. "How could I have missed this? How could I have missed you?" Pippin shrugged.

"You must have been temporarily blind."

"Frodo sent me to get some groceries and he told me to think, about everything that we've done and I did. I thought about you and everything I liked about you and disliked and I was thinking about your smile and it just hit me, all at once, right here." He touched Pippin's hand to his heart and smiled. "It took me a while, but I finally found it, Pippin. I finally found my heart." Pippin couldn't stop smiling now, he was grinning from ear to ear as Merry said this to him and he was so giddy that he almost missed the most important part of Merry's speech. "Oh, Pippin, I realized while I was down there that I love you like you love me and I don't want anything to come between us again." He fumbled in his jacket and pulled out something, slipping it into Pippin's hand. Pippin looked down and nearly cried out. Resting in his hand was a gold ring big enough to fit onto his forefinger with a sapphire resting in the middle of it. The sapphire wasalmost the same blue as Merry's eyes and Pippin wiped at his eyes as he put it on.

"Merry, how…?" Merry's smile matched Pippin's as he pulled out a similar ring; silver banded with an emerald nearly the exact shade of Pippin's eyes on it. He slipped it on the same finger as Pippin's.

"I saw them in the market. the vendor said that they were for the person you truly love," Merry said reverently. His eyes were glowing as he stared at Pippin and Pippin felt his breath catch as he realized what this meant. These were Promise rings, one you gave to the person you wanted to spend your life with, and the other you wore.

"You… you…" He stuttered himself into silence as he stared into Merry's eyes. Merry's smile widened and he nodded. He closed the gap between them, first with his hand caressing Pippin's cheek and then his mouth meeting Pippin's with a tender passion. Pippin thought that his heart would explode from the emotional flood that he was feeling. Merry thought that this is what he'd have missed if he'd walked away from Pippin forever. Both felt content and more than willing to stay there like that forever in Frodo's back garden.

The kiss ended sooner than either wanted. An unspoken understanding passed between them and they both decided to keep their show of affections minimal around Frodo. Merry smiled as he thought about later that night and he laughed out loud at the fey gleam that came into Pippin's eyes when he thought the same thing.

They sat there like that, holding hands and watching the flowers grow, for a few minutes and then got up and walked together into the kitchen. Frodo looked up from his book and smiled when he saw the entwined hands and the rings. He saw the love in his two cousins' eyes and his smile turned to a wide grin. The lovers returned it and Pippin hugged Frodo tightly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you Frodo," he said. "I would have given up if not for you" The look of pure love and desire that he gave Merry was enough to make shivers course down Merry's spine. Merry nodded.

"If you hadn't pushed me in the right diection, I would've never realized." He stopped and a dark look came to his face and quickly passed. "Or I would've realized it too late." Frodo's smile went, if possible, even wider.

"Well, now that reconciliation is done with, how about some lunch?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ahh..the moment we've all been waiting for...we've been through the sappy lovey-dovey moment and now we get to: THE SEX! Yes, this chapter, excepting the epilogue bit at the end, is basically glorified hobbit porn...for your reading pleasure.:D So if you like M/P, but can't stand the graphic details some people put into it (those people being sick like me) then just skip to the bit at the bottom. ;)Hope everyone elnoyed reading this, as much as I did when I wrote it. Nfinity**

**P.S. A huge thanks to all my reviewers, you guys _ROCK!_ And if you really want, I have a sequel, that I'm debating putting up. It's F/S, but it has to do with the events that happened in this story, so i can call it a seqeul. If you're interested let me know and I'll post it next week. **

Chapter 5:

Later that night Pippin was getting ready for bed to the claps of loud thunder. A storm had blown up that evening and it was articulating its power by the loud thunder accompanying the blinding lightning. Every time the thunder clapped, Pippin jumped, for it was widely known that he was afraid of thunderstorms, especially the ones that happened at bedtime. He slipped out of his room and walked down the hallway to Merry's room, knocking softly. He heard Merry say, "Come on in Pip" and he opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him. While it was widely known that the Took hated thunderstorms at bedtime, it was also common knowledge that he never slept alone during a thunderstorm, and his comforter of choice was Merry. So, on past nights such as this, no one ever thought anything of the young Took slipping off to Merry's room in the middle of the night, or not even sleeping in his own room at all.

Pippin stood there, torn between fright and sudden nervousness. They had made the Promise to each other less than eight hours ago and Pippin was still worried that Merry would change his mind, that he would not want Pippin in the same way that Pippin wanted him now. So he stood there frozen by indecision at the door. Merry watched him with an expression of part amusement and part annoyance on his face. Pippin had never been shy and Merry hated that he doubted him still.

"Pippin," he said, motioning to the other side of the bed as another loud thunderclap made Pippin jump. Pippin scrambled to the bed and immediately dove under the covers. Merry pulled them back and smiled at Pippin reassuringly. "We don't have to do anything tonight Pippin" Fear of rejection crept back into Pippin's eyes and Merry continued. "I don't want you to doubt my love for you." He held up his hand and showed Pippin the ring he wore. "This is my promise to you, Pippin, that I truly love you and I'll always love you no matter what. You have to believe me." Pippin saw the distress in Merry's face and nodded.

"I do believe you, Merry, it's just, well…" he stopped and laughed at himself. "I'm worrying myself for nothing." He grabbed Merry's hand and held it tight. "It took a while, but we're here now, and nothing can change that." Merry nodded and leaned in to seal that with a kiss. The kiss was more passionate than the one they'd shared earlier and Pippin felt that every fiber of his being was in that kiss and the emotion swelled up in him and he moaned aloud in Merry's mouth, giving Merry the opportunity to slide his tongue past Pippin's parted lips,causing the both of them to moan in unison. Merry thought that he'd experienced everything there was to kissing, but kissing Pippin was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. His whole being was wrapped into that clashing of lips and teeth and tongue and hot, wet loveliness. Then Pippin took the initiative and pushed Merry onto his back, not breaking the kiss as he rolled on top of him. Merry groaned in pleasure when the weight of Pippin's body landed on a certain place on his body and Merry realized the effect that Pippin had on him and the responding effect that he had on Pippin. They both groaned as Pippin pushed against him and a flame was lit in Pippin's belly. He stopped kissing Merry for a moment and looked into his eyes, the desire there as plain as anything. His lips moved to Merry's jaw and his ears and down to his collarbone, leaving wet little kisses wherever he could reach.

"Oh, mercy, Pippin," Merry gasped when Pippin bit lightly on his ear. He suddenly felt thatit wastoo hot in the room for so many clothes. He told this to Pippin, who laughed and sat up, throwing off his nightshirt with a flourish. He let Merry's eyes roam across his almost naked form before he got up and looked at Merry expectantly. Merry grinned and threw off his own with as much abandon as Pippin had. They sat there, caressing each other's bodies with their eyes until Pippin reached out tentatively and ran his hand across Merry's naked chest. He seemed almost childlike in his exploration of Merry's body and the feather-light touches were driving Merry mad. Finally he pulled Pippin to him and kissed him full on the mouth, their bare chests touched and Pippin moaned at the contact.

"Merry," he whispered urgently, needing more. Merry dipped his head down and licked and kissed his way from Pippin's jaw down to a nipple. He licked it and it became instantly erect as Pippin gasped with sudden delight. Merry clamped his mouth on it and Pippin held onto Merry's shoulders to keep himself from falling off of the bed. The little gasps and pants coming from Pippin were driving Merry as mad as when Pippin was touching his chest and he relinquished the nipple with a sigh and looked up at Pippin. Pippin surprised him by tackling Merry and pushing him down on the bed and attacking Merry's own nipple, licking and nipping at it. He administered to the one, and then turned his attentions to the other, making sure that Merry was getting the full treatment before pulling up and attacking Merry's mouth with a feral abandon that both alarmed and excited Merry as Pippin plundered his mouth with his tongue. Pippin began to push against Merry again rhythmically. Merry felt a fire start to build in his belly and indulged in a moment of the rocking before stilling Pippin's motions. He wanted this to last as long as possible.

"What is it, Merry?' Pippin asked in a strained voice. Merry smiled at Pippin's eagerness and gave him a light kiss.

"We need to take this slow, Pip. I don't want to finish before I'm ready." Pippin's expression was pained but he nodded.

"Okay Merry." A sudden thought struck him. "Have you ever done this before, Merry?" Merry was startled by the question and thought about it.

"No," Merry said. "Everytime I thought about doing it, with anybody, I always remembered my father giving me 'the talk'. Healways saidthat this...sort of thing...was for marriage and that I might be tempted to take up with another lad but that was wrong and could shame the family. He said it was against Nature, and lad that did it was unnatural." He looked at Pippin sadly, his eyes unreadable.

"You aren't unnatural Merry, and we aren't against Nature," Pippin said in a reassuring voice. "If we were against Nature, we wouldn't be in this world. There's nothing in this world, here in the Shire, that isn't supposed to be here. So you father is wrong and anyone who agrees with him is wrong." Merry nodded at Pippin and wiped his eyes.

"I'm so very sorry, Pippin. I just, I convinced myself that my father was right and I…" Pippin silenced Merry's apology with a kiss that turned heated almost instantly with the outpouring of love that Pippin put into it. This time, Pippin went slow and kept his need in check. His hands ran up and down Merry's sides and over his chest and his lips turned to a pointed ear and he nibbled on it for a moment as he thought.

"Whatever you want, it's yours: my life, my love, my heart, my soul and everything I do is for you, and I'll do anything if you just let me love you, oh please, let me love you cause all that I want is for you to love me, just love me and not worry about anything cause you're the only one that I love, the only thing in my world and your light shines brightest in the darkness and oh let me do anything for you, anything at all that you want, I'll do for you." Pippin didn't realize that he was rapidly whispering these words to Merry and he had begun to gently rock against him until he heard Merry gasp and push against him.

"Yes," Merry sighed. "Anything we both want." He turned his head and captured Pippin's mouth as the rocking became more insistent, until neither of them could think or speak coherently and they were unable to vocalize anything more than grunts and groans, and soft little gasps and moans. As they approached their climaxes, they were reduced to lips, teeth, tongue and sweaty bodies sliding against each other in a perfect rhythm and fluttering eyelids and guttural proclamations of love. Merry clasped Pippin's hand, the one with the ring on it, with his own, their rings glinting together in the candlelight and his mouth found Pippin's and they both moaned and shuddered and released.

They lay together in the aftermath, completely spent and exhausted, Pippin resting his head on Merry's shoulder, their hands still clasped. Pippin lay there, listening to the crackle of the flames and the gentle rain hitting the window, hearing a distant low rumble of thunder, feeling the rise and fall of Merry's chest against his head and he felt truly happy. He raised his head and looked at Merry.

"I love you Merry," Pippin said. Merry smiled and turned to face Pippin.

"I love you too, you silly Took. It just took me a while to figure that out." Pippin nodded.

"Well, we took the long way around, but we've finally arrived," he said as he fell asleep against Merry. Merry chuckled as sleep began to creep towards him.

"Aye," he agreed in a sleep filled voice. "That we did, Pip." He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Outside, the rain stopped and the moon shone bright on the blossoms in Sam's garden as they danced in the light breeze. But inside, two content hobbits slept peacefully and in love.

Epilogue:

"And They Lived Happily Ever After." The old hobbit finished, looking down at her grandchildren sitting in rapt silence.

"Did they really, grandmam?" Pearl Took smiled, looking out the window at the softly falling snowflakes, and nodded.

"Yes dearest, they did. And they still are."

FIN


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